The secret to cleaner, stronger, healthier hair is….

Well, this is a bit awkward, but it turns out you’ve been washing your hair wrong all this time. Typically, those of us with average-length hair stand under the shower, squirt a bit of shampoo into our hands and rub it into our hair for 10-20 seconds, rinsing as we go. Job done, right? Not so much.

“If you use styling product in your hair, it’s highly unlikely that you will be getting it all out with a quick wash and go,” says Mr Patrick Kidd, founder of luxury haircare brand Patricks, who recently released its range of shampoos and conditioners on MR PORTER to accompany its pomades. According to Mr Kidd, though of course he advocates the use of such pastes and creams, it’s important to minimise product build up in order to keep the hair healthy and prevent an itchy flaky scalp. “The thicker the product, the longer it takes to break down,” he says. His own shampoo, entitled SH2, has been specially formulated to fully cleanse the hair of all products. But he also has a few extra tricks up his sleeve.

The secret is to start by working the shampoo into dry hair before you wet it, advises Mr Kidd. “Let it sit on the hair for a minute or so while it breaks down the product, then wet the hair and lather up.”

Then the key thing is to really massage and clean the scalp itself, ideally for a full minute which will seem like a weirdly long time. “Your hair’s health is a direct reflection of your scalp’s health,” says Mr Kidd. This is where you should look at the ingredients on the shampoo bottle. “Generally speaking, the cheaper the shampoo, the more chemicals it is likely to have that cause skin irritation and a flaky scalp.” Just as you may choose to invest in a decent moisturiser for your face after using a facial cleanser, so you shouldn’t scrimp when it comes to your scalp and hair.

If you don’t use styling product, you won’t need to wash your hair daily because doing so can strip it of natural hydrating oils and make it feel dry and brittle. However, don’t skip the conditioner. This can be used without shampoo for a gentler, nutrient-restoring clean. But it should also be used after shampoo to nourish the scalp and hair.

“A lot of guys don’t bother with a conditioner, but actually this is what keeps the hair healthy and hydrated, maximising density and thickness which stops it falling out so easily,” he continues. “If anything, you should use conditioner more than shampoo.” Although Mr Kidd doesn’t market his line of products as anti-baldness treatments per se, all of them contain a recovery compound designed to minimise hair loss and stimulate hair growth, and the CD2 is no exception. “We used the best ingredients in the world with proven, scientific results,” he says. “Not only does it add nutrition back into the hair and scalp, it also protects the hair from chemical and environmental damage.

Mr Kidd likens his routine in the shower to washing a car, going from the top, down. He starts by applying shampoo to dry hair before then lathering up with water. Then he’ll rinse and work in conditioner, which he will leave in the hair for a couple of minutes while he washes the rest of his body. Then finally he’ll rinse the conditioner out. Job done? Very well.

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